This is Rumblestrip. I'm Erica Heilman, and this is the fourth episode of What Class Are You, a periodic series that I make for Vermont Public about the American class system.

Today, we revisit Katrina Patrick, who was a guest from the very first class series, which was back in 2022.

Back then, Katrina was working as a cashier at Olney's

General Store in Orleans. I met her. I was wandering around on the street looking for people to

talk to, and she was sitting outside on a break outside the store and was generous, and we talked for a

long time. Since then, she's had several different

jobs, and right now she is in a job at a factory that manufactures combat helmets up in the

Northeast Kingdom. She has a small apartment in Newport, and this past January, she gave birth to her

first child, a daughter, Emberlin. Here's Katrina.

How old was Emberlin when you went back to work? They give you 12 weeks, but I stayed out for

another week and a half, two weeks, so I just could not convince myself to go back to work.

So I went like two weeks without pay. So she was about four months old by the time I finally

went back to work. So money, you know, on a scale of one to ten, how stressed are you about

money? Extraordinarily. I mean, we are lucky to have my mom. She's a wonderful woman.

She is the reason why we have a pack and play for her to sleep in. She's the reason why we have a

car seat. I, unfortunately, since Emberlund has been born, have not been able to buy her anything,

except an occasional article of clothing or an occasional toy, but the big things, the things

that are upwards of $80 to $200, I can't get those things unless I want to increase the credit that I already owe to this world.

What about the job?

So going back to work, I decided to go back just 30 hours instead of 40 hours.

And with that, my paycheck predominantly goes to just bills what do you want her to have that you

didn't have i mean i would love it if she could come to me and be like i'm having a dance at school

...